Ebola Infected Countries Get Grant From Japan

The Japanese Government has released an emergency grant aid of $ 1.5 million (145 million Japanese yen) to help combat the Ebola viral disease outbreak in some West African countries including Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

The grant is being channeled through the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

A statement issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday said the Ebola viral disease, which was initially reported in Guinea this March, spread to the neighboring countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia.

It said as at August 11, 2014, 1,975 cases including suspected ones and 1,069 deaths were confirmed, adding that the infection was spreading so rapidly that further immediate countermeasures were required.

It said the Japanese Government already extended emergency grant aid of $ 0.52 million (50.4 million Japanese yen) in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Guinea this April.

“In addition, upon the requests from West African countries, WHO, UNICEF and IFRC, the Government of Japan decided to extend this grant in view of humanitarian needs as well as the friendly relationship between Japan and West African countries,” the statement said.

The Ghana news Agency (GNA) was established on March 5, 1957, i.e. on the eve of Ghana's independence and charged with the "dissemination of truthful unbiased news". It was the first news agency to be established in Sub-Saharan Africa. GNA was part of a comprehensive communication policy that sought to harness the information arm of the state to build a viable, united and cohesive nation-state. GNA has therefore been operating in the unique role of mobilizing the citizens for nation building, economic and social development, national unity and integration.